Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has called for the outright dissolution of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), accusing the union of corruption and sabotage within the nation’s oil sector.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Senator Ndume called on President Bola Tinubu to take drastic steps, insisting that dissolving the union was necessary to safeguard the economy.
He explained, “The best thing is for the president to sign an executive order calling them off. No PENGASSAN. Dissolving PENGASSAN,” he declared. “Abacha did it,” though he was a dictator, he explained that “certain situations deserve very drastic steps.”
Ndume, often described as the APC’s “rebel in chief” and a vocal critic of corruption, strongly opposed the union’s recent action against the Dangote Refinery. He argued that unions must prioritise national interests above individual or institutional demands.
“From day one, I was against this kind of unionism that only serves the interests within rather than the interest of the nation. They ought to serve the country first,” Ndume said. “Dangote is a private businessman who established his own refinery. You can not impose anything on a private individual.”
The senator maintained that oil and gas resources belonged to the country, not to workers or unions. He explained,“The oil people are the ones holding the neck of Nigeria. They don’t own the oil, the gas, they’re just the workers. The oil and gas belong to Nigeria. If Dangote says he doesn’t want his workers in a union, so what? He plays the piper so he can dictate the tune.”
Turning to the issue of corruption, Ndume condemned what he described as the normalisation of unexplained wealth within Nigeria’s political and economic systems.
“In this country, unexplained wealth is being celebrated. Questionable wealth is being celebrated, and that affects our total resources,” he said. “Some of us in the National Assembly had no good car or house before joining, yet within a short period, people suddenly have unexplained wealth.”
Further speaking, he added that Nigeria’s culture of celebrating corrupt individuals has eroded accountability. “When we were growing up, political leaders were under scrutiny in the eyes of the people. People used to go to prison because they could not account for local taxes. But today, corruption has been legitimised, and people don’t think about it. They are even celebrated after being declared as criminals and jailed.”
He revealed that he is lobbying the president to sponsor an executive bill that would compel public officials and individuals with questionable fortunes to account for their assets.“I am trying to get the president to sponsor an executive bill on unexplained wealth because this corruption at the end of it doesn’t help anyone,” he said.
Ndume also confidential offered himself up for scrutiny. He said, “If we are going to fight corruption, it should start by me being investigated. I will be happy to be investigated. They should check my bank account and call me in to explain. I still believe that things can be corrected.”
Nancy Amaka
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